Sign in Subscribe
Identity

A LOOK INSIDE THE CONCORDIUM ID APP

Validator 85223

• 7 min read
A LOOK INSIDE THE CONCORDIUM ID APP

The Concordium Identity App brings the network’s identity layer into direct use. Instead of remaining a background protocol feature, it is now available as a standalone tool where users can create accounts, manage verification, and decide how their information is shared. The app’s design emphasizes privacy and user control, while still meeting requirements for compliance and interoperability.

This first release is deliberately simple, focusing on essentials like age checks and wallet integrations. Over time, it will expand into wider applications, from reusable compliance proofs to support for programmable payments. What follows is a closer look at why the app was launched, the problems it addresses, and the roadmap ahead.

1. Introduction & Setup

audio-thumbnail
1. Introduction & setup
0:00
/173.065004
  • Kickoff & Agenda
    • Topics: Concordium Identity App launch, technical features, industry developments, and Concordium’s alignment.
  • Speakers
    • Arjun Yadav: Product Manager, SMUs team, responsible for the ID app and Concordium’s ID layer. With Concordium ~7 months.
    • Erasmus Hagen: Director of Product, Concordium. Background: ~10 years in crypto/Web3 as entrepreneur, founder, advisor. Academic background in sociology.
  • Context
    Arjun and Erasmus have previously worked together in the identity space.
  • Both emphasize the significance of digital identity as a core theme.
  • Identity positioned as central to Concordium’s vision and product roadmap.

2. Framing the Identity Challenge

audio-thumbnail
2. Framing the Identity Challenge
0:00
/407.420005
  • Why Launch Now
    • Concordium Identity App is the first dedicated app surfacing the Concordium identity layer.
    • Timed to meet growing global demand for digital identity services.
  • The Problem with Current Models
    • Web2 identity: relies on revealing personal data (passports, ID cards). Creates large centralized databases prone to breaches, misuse, and privacy violations.
    • Traditional trust: once based on personal familiarity (villages, families). Modern systems require abstract, institution-based trust.
    • Government-issued credentials: enforce trust via monopoly on authority, but at the cost of individual privacy and control.
  • Shortcomings of Web3 Alternatives
    • Early crypto: identity ignored, full anonymity embraced.
    • Regulators rejected pure anonymity → led to fragmented, compliance-heavy systems with weak privacy protections.
  • Concordium’s Different Approach
    • Identity at the protocol layer, unusual, even controversial in Web3.
    • Accounts require a "light-touch identity verification" before creation.
    • Privacy with accountability: identity revocable only via Swiss courts through due process.
    • Balances "Web3 modular innovation" with "traditional legal frameworks".
  • Beyond Basic Identity
    • Storing identity attributes alongside accounts risks repeating Web2 flaws (over-exposure of data).
    • Concordium’s solution: move toward Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) to prove attributes without revealing underlying documents.
    • Example: prove you are over 18 or not a North Korean citizen without exposing your passport.
  • Comments

3. Concordium’s Identity Approach

audio-thumbnail
3. Concordium's Identity Approach
0:00
/142.470068
  • Concordium Identity App: First Step
    • Current launch = rudimentary first version, showing clear direction.
    • Built around portable identity: carry verified identity across services and institutions.
    • Core feature examples:
      • Age verification.
      • Portable compliance checks (reusable across multiple contexts).
  • Design Principles
    • Privacy-first: every design decision prioritizes privacy, even if it limits convenience.
    • Trade-offs: some “obvious” features are excluded if they risk privacy.
    • User empowerment:
      • Users hold and control their own identity.
      • Ability to decide when/where to share attributes.
      • Option to revoke access at any time.
  • Underlying Philosophy
    • Trustworthy digital identity requires user control + privacy protection.
    • System must make people feel comfortable handling their most sensitive personal data.
  • Comments

4. Ecosystem Integration & Wallet Partnerships

audio-thumbnail
4.Ecosystem Integration & Wallet Partnerships
0:00
/411.97
  • Reason for Standalone App
    • Challenge: integrating CCD into third-party wallets proved complex and costly.
    • Solution: Concordium Identity App offloads this complexity, lowering integration barriers.
  • Two Reference Implementations
    • Coin98: will rely on the ID app for integration. Wallet only needs SDK + API calls.
    • Advantage: reduces integration from months → weeks.
    • Trade-off: users must also download the ID app for account creation (extra onboarding friction).
    • Safle (multi-chain wallet): built a full integration from scratch before SDK existed.
    • Serves as a second model of integration.
  • Benefits for Partners
    • Separation of concerns: third-party wallets handle only SDK integration, Concordium manages identity.
    • Easier CCD distribution into existing Web3 ecosystems.
    • Concordium provides technical support during integration.
  • Future Utility of the ID App
    • Currently: tool for wallet integration.
    • Future: broader use cases (age checks online, eventually offline).
    • More wallets integrating will increase user incentives to download the app.
  • SDK as Key Enabler
    • Continuous investment in SDK development.
    • Goal: select correct programming languages for maximum adoption.
    • Feedback from community on SDK priorities encouraged.
  • Comments:

5. Why Launch Now: Regulatory & Strategic Drivers

audio-thumbnail
5.Why Launch Now : Regulatory & Strategic Drivers
0:00
/277.205011
  • Strategic Timing
    • Long-discussed, but momentum now aligns with:
    • Leadership change.
    • Strategic pivot toward stablecoin issuance and PayFi.
    • Identity is essential in both traditional finance and crypto → app provides the necessary interface.
  • Regulatory Drivers
    • UK Online Safety Act: mandatory age checks for adult websites → frustration with repeated verification.
    • Concordium solution: one-time onboarding with IDP → then quick re-use (QR + swipe).
    • Designed with privacy-first architecture (no traceability).
    • Social media: platforms like TikTok under pressure for inadequate age checks (example: Danish court case).
    • AML/KYC frameworks (MiCA, EU zone): exchanges increasingly require proof for transfers → need streamlined, portable compliance.
  • Market Need
    • Each new regulation = a new demand for compliant digital identity solutions.
    • App validated by multiple ongoing legal and regulatory trends.
  • Strategic Value for Concordium
    • Exposing Concordium’s ID increases adoption of the protocol.
    • Once users have a Concordium ID:
      • Can easily create Concordium accounts.
      • Enables direct use of stablecoins and services on the Concordium network.
    • Identity app = entry point → broader ecosystem usage.
  • Comments

6. Roadmap & Future Versions

audio-thumbnail
6. Roadmap & Future Versions
0:00
/300.54
  • Product Philosophy
    • Balance between perfection vs. timely release.
    • Chosen approach: release early, release often.
    • Current version = functional, but UX and features still evolving.
  • Release Cadence
    • Frequent iteration planned.
    • Next release expected mid-next week.
    • Continuous cycle of new features and improvements.
  • Version 1 (Current)
    • Focus: account creation for third-party wallets.
    • Ensures core functionality for immediate integrations.
  • Version 2 (Planned)
    • Goal: improve onboarding UX.
    • Reduce reliance on seed phrases and repetitive recovery steps.
    • Make account creation simpler and more user-friendly.
    • Add advanced ZKPs for age verification and compliance checks.
  • Version 3 (Future)
    • Privacy-first user experience: design inspired by privacy apps (Signal, DuckDuckGo, Bitwarden, incognito browsing).
    • Aim: not only private by design, but also perceived as private by users
    • Preparation for Verify-and-Pay functionality.
  • Long-Term Vision
    • Make Concordium ID more useful and market-ready.
    • Combine with Protocol-Level Tokens (PLTs):
      • Initial focus on stablecoins.
      • Future expansion into other tokenized use cases.
    • Age-gated payments:
      • Example: only accept payments from UK-based users over 21.
      • Combine identity attributes with on-chain transactions.
    • Additional directions: portable compliance, certification, verifiable credentials, and social integrations.
  • Comments

7. Q&A Session (Sidebar Questions)

audio-thumbnail
7. Q&A Session (Sidebar Questions)
0:00
/973.085011
  • 7.1 Adoption & Friction
    • Seed phrases required → unavoidable for a private system.
    • Product design analogy: users face a “wall” of friction; adoption depends on the perceived benefits on the other side.
    • Benefits to offset friction:
      • Coin98 users must use ID app to manage CCD.
      • Additional wallet integrations will make the app more attractive.
      • App will expand to broader ID verification use cases across the internet.
  • 7.2 Wallets & App Differences
    • ID App vs. CryptoX:
      • ID app = identity only (no transaction signing, no tokens).
      • CryptoX = full wallet for value transactions.
  • 7.3 Importing accounts: technically possible but discouraged.
    • Separation of funds vs. ID is a deliberate security design.
    • ID app may use cloud backup (suitable for identity).
    • Wallets like CryptoX remain strictly self-custodial.
    • Two profiles recommended: one for funds, one for ID.
  • 7.4 Web2 Use Cases
    • Example: proving age on social media.
    • Flow: log in with normal Web2 account → single-click ID app verification.
    • Goal: one app serving all online ID verification needs, not just Web3.
  • 7.5 Strategic Purpose for Concordium
    • Identity app increases exposure to Concordium’s network.
    • Users who adopt Concordium ID are halfway to becoming Concordium users:
      • Can easily create accounts.
      • Gain access to stablecoins and other services.
  • 7.6 Audit Trail & Compliance
    • Plan to build privacy-preserving audit trails for age checks.
    • Encrypted digests of proof events stored on-chain.
    • Regulators can verify checks occurred without seeing user data.
    • Helps operators stay compliant with new laws.
  • 7.7 Incentives & User Adoption
    • Engagement models considered:
      • Worldcoin-style incentives (airdrops, rewards).
      • Practical incentives: avoiding repeated friction (e.g., face scans on adult sites).
      • App designed to provide enough utility to justify onboarding friction.
  • 7.8 Integration Flows & Expansion
    • Future path:
      • Users could start in ID app → one-click upgrade to an account wallet.
      • Example: button to enable UK stable token payments after ID check.
    • Identity app infrastructure gives Concordium flexibility to add such flows directly.
  • Comments

8. Closing & Community Engagement

audio-thumbnail
8. Closing & Community Engagement
0:00
/129.21034
  • Community Appreciation
    • Erasmus and Arjun thank the community for strong engagement since launch.
    • Feedback has been both visionary (resonating with the app’s purpose) and practical (specific suggestions for improvements).
  • Community Testing
    • New plan to involve community directly in testing future releases.
    • Recognized as highly valuable for refining the product.
  • Commitment to Responsiveness
    • Even if replies are delayed, all feedback is noted and addressed.
    • Feedback described as a “present” — vital for making the app more robust.
  • Future Outlook
    • Expect many frequent releases as the app evolves.
    • Community involvement framed as central to Concordium’s product development.
  • Comments

Updates and News - Sign Up Now

Enter your email
Subscribe